5 Potential Landing Spots for Colin Kaepernick

With the NFL preseason coming up within the next week, there’s a lot of buzz around how draft picks and free agency acquisitions play on their new teams. The biggest name still on the free agency market is Colin Kaepernick, who has been rumored to be in contact with a handful of teams.

Kaepernick’s protest during the 2016 NFL season where he did not stand for the national anthem was although to some admirable made it difficult for front offices to sign him because of the publicity he brings.

With that being said, let’s see which five teams are most likely to sign Kaepernick sometime this season.

Carolina Panthers

If the Panthers sign Kaepernick, it won’t be in the preseason or early in the regular season. If they do end up signing him, it’ll likely be later in the season where they try to make a playoff push and Cam Newton’s shoulder injury sidelines him later on.

Kaepernick has some similarities to Newton, as they’re both dual-threat quarterbacks and have almost the same frame, with Kaepernick having a slightly smaller body (Newton being 6’5″ and 245 lbs. and Kaepernick being 6’4″ and 230 lbs.). Having the same playing style will make his transition to this team relatively easy.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a tough spot at quarterback, since current starter Blake Bortles has been lukewarm for them, but is showing signs of regression. In camp practice this offseason, Bortles threw 5 interceptions. His 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season is the definition of average, but Bortles hasn’t shown any signs of improvement in the last few seasons.

If Kaepernick signs with the Jaguars, it will be early-to-mid season when the coaching staff and front office become fed up with Bortles’ play. Kaepernick will start a few games to motivate Bortles to play better, but if Kaepernick succeeds in this system, Bortles can be a solid backup quarterback.

Miami Dolphins

Although there’s buzz around the Dolphins wanting to sign Jay Cutler since Ryan Tannehill’s knee injury, there’s also some buzz around them signing Kaepernick.

Tannehill’s devastating knee injury puts the Dolphins in a tough predicament. They’ll have to make a decision soon as to who they want as starting QB with the regular season beginning soon.

If Kaepernick signs with the Dolphins, it’ll be within the next few weeks, but odds are they’ll sign Cutler.

New York Jets

Now, THIS would be a story line.

The Jets are awful and this season will be one to forget, but the Jets could be a slightly below average team with a decent QB in Kaepernick. The media buzz in The Big Apple could make it hard on the organization to focus on the football aspect of Kaepernick and not his political stance.

The Jets are set to start either Christian Hackenberg or Josh McCown at QB. Kaepernick would be an upgrade over these two, but the media presence the Jets bring as well as the media presence Kaepernick brings could be an issue for the organization.

Seattle Seahawks

Although these rumors have died down, the Seahawks are still a viable option for Kaepernick.

Seattle would provide a great locker room presence for Kaepernick since players like Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett have openly supported Kaepernick’s political stance.

Kaepernick’s dual threat ability matches that of Russell Wilson, and the backups in Austin Davis and Trevone Boykin are very limited in potential.

Overall, the Seahawks could be the best fit for Kaepernick, but the signing of Austin Davis shows they likely aren’t interested in Kaepernick right now. If Wilson gets injured, Kaepernick could be a viable option for Seattle.